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The COA provides its members with this Workers’ Compensation Resource Center to assist you in navigating California’s Workers’ Compensation system—treatment and Medical-Legal.
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California Orthopaedic Association |
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ACOEM Practice Guidelines
· Revised Ankle Chapter is adopted by DWC.
· Revisions to Low Back Guidelines are released. |
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“Keeping you Active” |
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AMA Releases 6th Edition of the AMA Guides to Disability Evaluations. California would have to pass legislation to adopt 6th Edition. No indication that will happen any time soon. Continue to use the 5th Edition for assessing disability in California. |
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The Most Recent WC Fee Schedule Information · 10 Evaluation and Management Codes Increased as of February 15, 2007. See the COA Report, Spring, 2007 for details. · Changes to the Medical-Legal Fee Schedule—effective July 1, 2006, medical-legal evaluations, supplemental reports, or depositions done on or after July 1, 2006 have been increased 25% across-the-board. In addition, there were changes to the ML103 complexity factors and two new ML codes were created—. ML105—Medical-Legal Testimony and ML106—Supplemental Reports. Click here for a copy of the revised Medical-Legal Fee Schedule.
· OMFS Ground Rules Updated and posted at: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/dwcpropregsOMFSGenInfo_Instructions_Final.pdf · Reimbursement for Repackaged Pharmaceuticals Reduced as of March 1, 2007 – Click here to calculate reimbursement · The Division of Workers’ Compensation releases the first Lewin Report which will begin the discussion of transition to a RBRVS System for the Official Medical Fee Schedule—(OMFS) Physician Services. This report describes the impact of the transition if it is done in a budget neutral manner. The DWC has indicated that the report is a benchmark and does not necessarily represent DWC’s recommendations. In fact, as a result of some public meetings with The Lewin Group, DWC has agreed to model the transition in other ways. They have also indicated that they will provide us with a list of the top 100 surgical and non-surgical codes so that COA and other organizations can assess the impact on specific CPT codes and individual practices. A copy of the Lewin report can be obtained on the DWC website: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/RBRVSReport/RBRVS_May2008.pdf |
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Assessing Pain The AMA Guides 6th Edition includes a pain disability questionnaire that will help you score a patient’s pain levels. Click here for the pain disability questionnaire.
In addition, click here for a patient’s pain drawing to help patients describe to you where they are feeling pain.
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